Good commercials work. If they didn’t work, there would be no commercials. However, a quick study by AutoTrader.com put together evidence that a good commercial can create immediate interest. During last night’s airing of the Super Bowl, Dodge opted to advertise with a poignant and emotionally affecting commercial promoting the company's truck, the Ram, while also giving a nod to farmers.

The commercial features stills of farmers and their families working in all kinds of weather and in different types of situations. While the shots pan out, Paul Harvey’s famous “So God Made A Farmer” radio speech can be heard by audiences. The whole thing is a stirring reminder of an America many of us only see when traveling along desolate highways or looking at pictures of the American past.

Apparently, connecting the idea of the American farmer with the Dodge Ram was appealing for audiences. AutoTrader kept a record of vehicle make and model traffic searches in the hour before the Super Bowl commercial aired and then monitored the pages for an hour after the commercial aired. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Ram saw a 55% increase in traffic on the site after the Super Bowl commercial aired. Other ads, including Jeep’s “Coming Home” spot and Lincoln’s commercial also saw similar traffic gains after airing during the big game.

Audiences are not frequently privy to the direct affect advertising can have on us, and AutoTrader’s numbers are certainly an interesting reminder that our choices are directly affected by advertising, even if we have bigger things, like a Super Bowl game, on our minds.